December days

I walk around my neighborhood a lot, but usually its on Shabbat, so I can't take photographs. But the fall weather has been so beautiful lately, I fit in several walks during this week. Here are some photos of Los Angeles dressed in autumn hues. Enjoy.

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving in SoCal - you never know what you'll get. Last Sunday, we had a torrential rainstorm - water flowing down my street, up and over the curb. Yesterday morning it was 45 degF when I got up at 7 am; but by mid-day, it was 75 degF! And today will be in the 80's. Expect just about anything except snow ;)

This kind of weather lends itself to beautiful skies - here are a couple of sunrises.



The pomegranate in my front yard is turning gold and losing leaves. At the same time, my little cassia tree is blooming away. My garden usually has something in bloom all year long - another perk of living in SoCal.



On Thanksgiving, I like to bake pies. I tried a new recipe this year - an apricot jam tart that has ground almonds in the crust:


I love that the holiday has "thanks" in its name - we all should be grateful for the good things in our lives. Thanks!

Beauty and rainbows

Last week I went to the Huntington Library to see an exhibit of furniture and decorations by Sam Maloof, a master woodworker. He lived in an enclave of painters, potters, and other artisans. Here are a couple of impressions:



Roses in their garden:


I got home and this was parked across the street from me:


It's been raining off and on for the past week. On Friday, there was the most unusual rainbow low on the horizon, right up against the Hollywood Hills:


And today, there was another rainbow, nestled amongst the palm trees:
Fall is a great time in SoCal. Enjoy.

Moving into fall

Days are getting shorter, weather changes day by day. Must be autumn in Southern California.

Happy New Year

Happy Jewish new year, that is. In between holidays, I still have to commute to work, plus go here and there on errands and such. The photos this week are mostly outdoors - with fall around the corner, the sky has turned interesting again. And even everyday things like traffic signs and office buildings take on a creative look. Hope you enjoy.

Vacation in Bend, Oregon

Hello again. I went on vacation for a week to Bend, Oregon. Most people who visit Oregon go to Portland, which is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean west of the Cascade Mountains. Bend is on the eastern side of the mountains, in the central part of the state. The coast is very wet and cloudy, since most of the moisture is trapped by the Cascades. The eastern part of the state is high desert - more like northern Arizona. Mountains, red rock buttes, forests, small towns (Bend is the big city around there and it only has 85,000 citizens).

I'd read a few articles about Bend and decided that I'd like to see it. It's a very beautiful area. I spent a lot of time hiking, sight seeing, window browsing. One day I drove down to Ashland where they have the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and saw a few plays.

Here are some photos from my trip. I'll label them so you can know where they were taken. Hope you enjoy them.

Deer at the front door.

Paulina Lake (inside a volcano crater in Newberry National Volcanic Monument).

Autumn colors.

Re-purposed lumber mill at Old Mill District (shopping center).

Pilot Butte beyond the sprinklers.

Llama ranch near Redmond.

Quizzical fellow.

Costumes at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

Stream reflections.

Who's that in the shade??

Vintage movie theater in Ashland.

Pumice castle at Crater Lake National Park.

Phantom Ship Island at Crater Lake NP.

Manzanita.

Big sky and fire look-out.

Inside Lava River Cave
(Newberry National Volcanic Monument).

Very dark beyond the lantern...

Rock climber at Smith Rock State Park.

"Monkey Face" at Smith Rock State Park.

Thistles.

Sunset from my back porch.